Maersk Backs Port Otago’s Dredging Plan

Shipping giant Maersk is backing Port Otago’s more than $100 million proposal to widen and deepen shipping lanes into Port Chalmers for larger ships, but has reiterated it can give no assurances on future services. Maersk is the world’s largest container shipping line, operating 578 ships, and is Port Otago’s largest customer, providing the lion’s share of a record 219,000 containers handled last financial year. Port Otago has applied for numerous resource consents to dredge and dump more than 7 million cu m of sand and silts over several years, with the submission date extended and a hearing expected to be in early April.